The Four Horsemen
' 'The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse'' refer to a group of super-villains, each individual in their own rights but all having destructive ambitions towards society. For this reason, they often unite as a team - but they don't necassarily have to be on the same side to be considered part of the Four Horsemen. The Four Horsemen get their name from their biblical counter-parts, although in the Arsinos adaptation of the idea none of the horsemen are actually divine in any sense, and neither do they literally ride upon horseback. They were named purely because of their combined goal. As with the Avengers, the Four Horsemen is a changable roster that can go through different members or become a new selection altogether. Arsinos Roster The first Horsemen were encountered on Arsinos. Though originally a team, they eventually turned on one another whilst retaining the threat they represented to the world. The Machine God Responsible for the events in Rise of the Machine God, this A.I is a fragment of the Steel Tide, created as the offset of King Masher's rage. It is notorious in its lust for power, manipulation of its followers and the sheer power and fear it stands for. Arsinos once trembled in fear the very mention of the Machine God, whilst others worshipped him as a deity. Monty's ultimate goal is to gain utter dominance over humanity, destroying all nations and tying the survivors together into one mindset - a hive mind. Politically, he is as far right as one could possibly be. The Machine God represents the 'Conquest' horseman. Cayden Masher More commonly known as the dreaded super-soldier 'Thorn', Cayden Masher is the son of Sodney Masher. Believed to be fairly innocent and well balanced, Cayden's true nature was more damaged than first thought due to a combination of things. Cayden's discovery of his father's lies over his upbringing, the existence of his mother (and her subsequent death), plus his troubled upbringing at Sethos' hands have twisted his mind and left him bitter with rage. Cayden is quite similar to Monty in the respect that he wishes to change the world by tearing down state society. However, whilst Monty is politically far right, Cayden is the opposite. Global anarchy and a harmonious stateless society is his goal - regardless of who has to die to achieve this. Cayden represents the''' 'War'' horseman. Jim Moriarty James Moriarty is a criminal mastermind. He is unique to the other horsemen in that he has no supernatural powers or heightened physical strength. He is, in fact, quite harmless. However, his criminal influence stretches every nation on the planet. He has eyes and ears everywhere, and has repeatedly outsmarted both the Outlaws and the Avengers. There is very little that Jim Moriarty is incapable of overseeing. Moriarty's crime network has been described as a plague infesting Arsinos. Moriarty has no 'goal' regarding Arsinos' future. He wishes only to cause chaos and watch the world as it burns. He is happy to help those who wish to do the same… though, more likely, he'll end up destroying those who associate with him. He's easily bored. Moriarty represents the ''Famine'' horseman. Ruaumoko More commonly known as the draconic World Breaker, Ruaumoko is an elemental demigod capable of mass destruction. His birth was the result of nature attempting to re-balance itself following nuclear war in ancient Arsinos, but his subsequent imprisonment corrupted his 'balance' and possibly granted him sentience. Now, Ruaumoko's only living purpose is to destroy all life, whether it threatens the balance of nature or not. Ironically, Ruaumoko himself is now threatening to wipe nature out completely, despite being born to preserve it. Does Ruaumoko have a goal? Nobody knows. Associating or trying to communicate with the dragon is a death sentence. His movements are unpredictable, his targets supposedly random and his ultimate goal non-existant. Whilst it's rumoured that he is controlled by a higher power, Ruaumoko ultimately represents one thing - the doom of man. Avoid at all costs! Ruaumoko represents the ''Death'' horseman. Barvos Roster The Four Horsemen of Arsinos were ultimately defeated or otherwise subdued. With the destruction of the Warp and the loss of warp power, it was long believed that beings of such strength could no longer exist and so the threat of a new Horsemen roster was impossible. Despite this, however, a group of names have appeared none-the-less. As the Revenant approaches Barvos, their ultimate ambition is unknown. But given their secrecy and obviously malicious intent, it cannot be a 'good' sign. They have only been officially dubbed the Four Horsemen by Frost and Echo in confidence, and this was only to draw comparisons to their family history. It is unlikely the title will become commonly used, but the position suits them regardless. '''Black John' Black John is theorised by Echo to be the fore-front of the Four Horsemen, though his identity is a mystery. Echo believes he is a Titan, and is responsible for creating the Lords of Summer (previously, he believed the Revenant was responsible for this cult). As such, he controls the vast majority of relegious power in the world, crafting faith and public opinion in his own trend. Until his identity is discovered, he will remain unknown. Black John represents the Death horseman. Cassio Von Karston Cassio has long been held by both Wyatt and Cayden Masher as an ambitious and dangerous Titan. Deceptive and dangerous, he controls the vast majority of the Titan species on Barvos. As the head of the Von Karston brood, he not only controls them but, by influence, now also controls the Stormlands through a puppet leader known as Blackwake. Cassio represents the Conquest horseman. The Watcher The infamous leader of the Syndicate, the Watcher's identity was long believed to be Richard Zarak. However, after Echo discovered that Zarak was in fact shot dead three days after the events of Circle, and the loss of the Warp, the true leader is unknown - it is possible that the title 'The Watcher' actually refers to the Syndicate as a whole, and there is no real entity in charge. The Syndicate's criminal influence spreads far wider than previously thought; to every sector and level of power on the planet, and collectively they control more of Barvos than any nation or organisation previously seen on Tales of Barvosians, both on Arsinos and Barvos (rivalling even that of the Machine God). This, in essence, makes them by far the most powerful enemy in the game so far, capable of taking down the entire world overnight with little to no warning. The Watcher represents the Famine horseman. The War Horseman The final Horseman, the representative of war, is unknown. Echo has ruled out the majority of known people, the only likely possibility being Gorknuk Crusha.